How Themes Work
Most days have a theme. It is probably not the kind of theme you are expecting, and once it clicks it is the most useful hint on the board.
Shown above today's questionsThe one thing to know: a theme almost always describes the answers, not the questions. A themed day can ask you about history, movies, sports and geography all at once. What those answers have in common is the theme.
A real example
The theme on November 3rd was Twist My Arm, with a note that said "Every answer contains Arm." Here are four of that day's ten questions:
1.5 million citizens of this present-day nation were killed or displaced during mass atrocities under the Ottoman Empire beginning in 1915.
Answer Armenia
Which New Orleans-born musician, nicknamed Satchmo, helped shape jazz?
Answer Louis Armstrong
Which athletic brand, founded in 1996 by former Maryland football player Kevin Plank, became famous for compression shirts?
Answer Under Armour
What 1998 disaster film follows a team of oil drillers recruited by NASA to stop an asteroid?
Answer Armageddon
History, music, sportswear, a summer blockbuster. Four completely unrelated subjects. The theme was never about the topic, it was about the letters sitting inside every answer.
The kinds of themes you'll see
Something hiding in every answer
A word, a name or a pattern turns up in all ten answers. Twist My Arm hid "arm" in each one. Rock Bands in the Answer and World Capitals in the Name work the same way. The questions stay ordinary trivia, the answers do the work.
Answers that link to each other
In Chain Gang, the last letter of one answer is the first letter of the next, and the tenth loops back to the first. A real chain: Coolio → Optimus Prime → Elephant → Tick → Klay Thompson. Get eight of them and the chain often hands you the other two.
The clue itself is the puzzle
Sometimes the theme rewrites how questions are asked. On Holiday Movies by Antonyms, the clue "Away Together" meant Home Alone, and "Live Flaccid" meant Die Hard. On Combos, "Golden Girls star wants a crave case" meant Betty White Castle.
And sometimes just a topic
Plenty of days really are what they say: The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Halloween, State Capitals. When the theme is a plain subject, take it at face value.
How to actually use it
Work backwards when you're stuck
If a question has you beaten, stop thinking about the question and ask what answer would fit the theme. On an "arm" day, a question about a jazz musician narrows to Louis Armstrong fast, even if the clue alone wasn't getting you there.
The theme is a hint, not a rule you have to follow
You are never required to make your answer match the theme. You just type the answer you think is right. The theme is there to help you find it.
Read the note underneath
Some themes come with a line of extra explanation, and it usually matters. One day's note read "'Green' is not in any of the standard answers, to avoid people just guessing Green and getting credit." Another said the opposite: "If you don't know the answer, guessing 'Rose' is a smart idea."
Not every day has one
Themed days are common but not guaranteed. When there's no theme panel above the questions, it's a straight trivia day.
Where do I see the theme?
It sits at the top of the home page, above today's questions, before you start playing. You can also browse every past theme to get a feel for the range.